“Promotions that Get Results”

By Cliff Quicksell, MAS+

President – Cliff Quicksell Associates & QuicksellSpeaks

It continues to be an incredible ride, like riding a chopper on a warm evening along the Big Sur watching a beautiful sunset. It has been wonderful; and I love it. My tenure in the Promotional Products industry has been a steady ride of building significant relationships, lasting friendships, and a deep sense for the importance of giving back to my friends and peers. As a speaker and consultant, I have this burning desire to share experiences and information which will continue to help raise the bar of professionalism in the industry. I am but one individual who really enjoys giving back, much like my peers like Paul Kiewiet, Mark Graham, Jay Busselle, Danny Rosen, Charity Gibson – the list could (and does) go on and on. But it is this desire that makes our industry an unbelievable place to work and live. While I have written books and published over thirteen- hundred articles and probably spoken internationally to over 250,000 people, I learn and gain so much by listening to others. It is this free exchange of information, without paranoia, that strengthens a group, an industry, and an individual. This is your opportunity now to read and absorb some incredible stories, many of which mirror yours, that will make you more profitable and a much more sought-after professional in your respective market. Don’t be afraid to share.

If you Google© search the abovementioned names, and those with whom they’re connected with, what you will find is a group of people, like myself, who are PASSIONATE about what they do, and more importantly, WHY they do it! Do you have that passion? I have watched them on speak, heard their podcasts, listened to their mentoring sessions - they get it done. They are different, mavericks and for that they get TOP dollar for what they produce. Do you? What are you worth? Think about that; if someone said, ‘Suzie, I have no interest in what you have to sell, but I understand you are a creative person, what would you charge me an hour for your time – for your creative mind? If you don’t know, you are potentially in trouble. Before you can excel in business you must understand your worth. Could just anyone build a custom Yamaguchi bike?  Or in your case, a custom promotion like you? No, it takes a maverick someone who’s willing to step out beyond the norm of selling under the product banner and sell like a promotional consultant.  So, start thinking differently!

What is it you do?

I sell solutions not stuff, a hundred years ago, in its infancy, that’s what our industry was about, selling stuff with your name on it. But now it’s more. Promotional Products motivate, entice, excite and change the direction of any businesses. Several years ago, I had the pleasure of meeting Don Anderson an aspiring promotional consultant who emulated the way I went to market. A quick story of how powerful, well thought-out campaign can reap uncanny results. Don was approached by a lawn care company that asked him to develop a door hanger marketing piece for them to use to announce and promote their new lawn care special. Don seized the opportunity by asking them if they were open to a different methodology of promotion, noting that most people just “deep six” (throw away) this type of mail piece. Don proposed the company tie the promotion to a seasonal event, in this case, Easter. He suggested the company take a piece of muslin cloth, print the promotional information on the cloth with natural soybean ink, then the concept was to bundle a pinch of Texas wildflower seeds in the cloth, tie it up and place it inside a plastic Easter egg. He further suggested the company employ the boy scouts in a good will project by having the boys place the eggs in the front yards of over 5,000 residents in the Houston area…the night before Easter. The results were staggering, of the 5,000 pieces sent, over 1,800 phone calls were received by the client, a 44% response rate. Do you think the client would have seen the same results with a door hanger? Unlikely!

Thinking differently, out of the box is what gets results, it is what stands out. My rule is: “As long as it does not harm anyone emotionally, spiritually or mentally, the gloves are off”, my job is to get results, not to sell stuff that sits on shelves, but concepts and products that motive and inspire. How does one think differently? During my thirty five-plus years as an educator, I’ve had so many people tell me, they weren’t creative, not true – it’s the thinking differently and not worrying about what people say or think of your ideas, that makes the difference. Interesting statistic: from birth to age six, 94 percent of your ideas are considered creative and innovative…however when you reach age forty that percentage drops to four (4) percent. Why? As we grow up, we are conditioned by our parents to be quiet, don’t do that, that’s a stupid idea, act your age…I’m glad I never listened to that one. Thinking openly, without reservation, and being willing to be wrong, this mode of thinking, is where brilliant ideas are born. Think about that, if you have a child and the Maytag© man delivers a washer to your home and the box finds its way into the yard, what does that box become to a kid? A car, a fort, a spaceship any number of things. To watch a child’s mind, open up, is like watching a fountain of untapped possibilities.

The book, by Roger VonOech titled; “A Whack on the Side of the Head”, speaks to the incredible creative process. In his book, one chapter talks about how to think differently and how to jumpstart your creative juices and the creative process. Von Oech suggests that one way is to ask the question; “What if?” and then start thinking about the wildest things imaginably. What would computers look like if we had ten fingers on each hand? What if as a human you could run 100 miles and hour for long periods of time, how would transportation be different?” Think about that. He also states another good practice that works, is to compare two unlike objects and draw comparisons of each: a cat and a refrigerator, what do they have in common? They come in different colors, different sizes, shapes, textures. They both hold milk and food; they have a tail (power cord). Doing this, makes you think differently and stretches your mind, and get your creative juices flowing. The idea of comparing two unlike objects is what I did to develop a personal self-promotion that had tremendous results. While walking a show, I happened on the Swiss Army© booth where they sell branded Swiss Army™ knives, I had just finished the book just mentioned and it dawned on me, ‘what do I as a salesperson, and a Swiss Army knife have in common?’. I designed a marketing piece that addressed each function of a Swiss Army knife and how that functioned related to me a salesperson. Scissors: we tailor promotions to fit your budget; Toothpick: we pick and probe though all of the product offerings to bring you a promotion that makes you smile” etc. My goal was to use the piece as a door opener, one that had multi-utilitarian purpose. The packaging even had value, the package was designed with a perforated panel, with a magnet attachment which could be removed and used as a follow-up piece. I targeted one-hundred and thirty-seven prospects and had an amazing eighty-four percent result rate, connecting with over ninety key prospects.

A few years later, I got into the swing of marketing and selling more with an agency mindset, developing more and more programs like the one mentioned above. I tried something a bit different: wanting to target forty-seven key major marketing managers, I decided to try something different. I created a small box where I placed a mouse pad, a pen, a BRC (business reply card) and a printed computer mouse. The copy on the front of the box read; “…now it’s easier than ever…

And inside, “…to catch me…”. The mouse had an actual mouse trap attached to the cord. The purpose was to entice them to my web site, fill out the response card thereby giving me feedback to the ease of use of the site and any suggestions they may have to make it more appealing. Surprisingly over ninety-four percent of the recipients logged on and gave me feedback either by phone, fax, e-mail or via the response card. In addition, several people actually placed orders on the site, an astounding $54,000.00 of business the first month. Development, products and mailing of the piece totaled approximately $550.00, a significant return and response rate.

           These are a few examples of what can be done with a little ingenuity, and creativity. I have been blessed, I learned to pivot years ago and it surely helped me grow my business to very profitable levels.

           Do yourself a favor. Think creatively. Know your value. Share your passion with others. You’ll make our great industry better and stronger. And you will become stronger and more profitable in the process.

As always, Continued Good Selling. Would love your feedback!!!

Cliff